• Microsoft Corp. is reportedly holding meetings with ad agencies to highlight the advertising opportunities available through its updated Bing search engine, which is now supported by artificial intelligence technology. Possible ad integrations include paying to have product or business names inserted into Bing’s chatbot responses and top-of-screen billing when users leverage the tool to search for recommendations. (Reuters)
• Meta Platforms Inc. is launching a subscription service for Facebook and Instagram, called Meta Verified, that allows users to pay a monthly fee of $11.99 for access to additional features, including account verification badges. It marks the latest attempt by a major social media platform to diversify revenue streams beyond advertising. (Bloomberg)
• Twitter Inc. announced it is reserving the ability to use text messages as a two-factor authentication method only for subscribers to Twitter Blue, its premium offering. The change will take effect March 20 and is part of a broader effort by the social media platform to monetize features that were free before Elon Musk’s takeover last year. (CNN)
• Amazon.com Inc. said all corporate employees must spend at least three days a week in the office beginning May 1, shifting away from a pandemic-inspired policy that let individual managers decide the frequency with which staffers were expected to be in the office. (CNBC) Meanwhile, employees at the tech giant are reportedly bracing for their annual compensation to be between 15% and 50% lower than expected targets as a result of Amazon’s stock performance. (The Wall Street Journal)

TikTok Really Is Becoming Gen Z’s Google, and More on How Gen Z Gets Its News

Morning Consult

From the FTC to SCOTUS, the ad tech world has its hands full of privacy and policy issues

Marty Swant, Digiday

Just days after the Federal Trade Commission’s only Republican commissioner announced plans to resign — and claimed her peers within the agency are abusing their power — the FTC announced a new Office of Technology to bolster the agency as it looks to further regulate Big Tech with new resources for everything from investigations and enforcement to research and stakeholder outreach.

420 Comes Early: Cannabis Brands Roll Out First Paid Ads on Twitter

T.L. Stanley, Adweek

Elon Musk breaks from the tech pack and creates a weed-friendly place for industry marketers.

Don Lemon Will Return to CNN on Wednesday After Uproar

Michael M, Grynbaum and John Koblin, The New York Times

CNN’s chairman, Chris Licht, said in a Monday night memo that the anchor “has agreed to participate in formal training” after making on-air comments widely regarded as sexist.

‘Ant-Man And The Wasp: Quantumania’ Flies To $225.3M WW Opening

Nancy Tartarglione, Deadline

Disney/Marvel’s Ant-Man and The Wasp: Quantumania has landed with an estimated $225.3M global opening through Sunday. The split on the Peyton Reed-directed threequel is $104M domestic (3-day) and $121.3M from the international box office.

Barnes & Noble Takes Page From Amazon With $40-a-Year Membership Program

Jeffrey A. Trachtenberg, The Wall Street Journal

Book retailer also launches free membership program in effort to learn more about its customers.

Barstool Sports Fully Acquired by Penn Entertainment, Which Paid $388 Million for Remaining Stake

Todd Spangler, Variety

Barstool Sports is now fully owned by casino operator and entertainment company Penn Entertainment, which Friday completed its previously announced acquisition of the property. Penn said it paid $388 million for the 64% stake in Barstool did not already own.

Starz-MGM Plus Bundle To Be Offered On Amazon Prime Video

Jon Lafayette, Next TV

Starz said it reached a deal with Amazon to offer consumers a bundle that combines the Starz streaming service with Amazon’s MGM Plus.

Former Boston Celtics star Paul Pierce settles with SEC over crypto violations

Rohan Goswami, CNBC

“This case is yet another reminder to celebrities: The law requires you to disclose to the public from whom and how much you are getting paid to promote investment in securities, and you can’t lie to investors when you tout a security,” SEC Chairman Gary Gensler said in a statement.

With Financial Turmoil At Bally Sports Networks, Major Leagues Gear Up For A Future Without Cable

Jabari Young, Forbes 

Linear’ broadcast TV combined with streaming games offer the best alternatives to reach the most fans, insiders say. But regional sports networks like the one owned by Sinclair are getting in the way.

TikTok Announces New Creator Fund in U.S.

Kaya Yurieff, The Information

TikTok announced a new version of its creator fund in the U.S. on Monday called the Creativity Program Beta. It will initially be available only to select creators who will receive an invitation to join.

Social networks’ latest business model is charging for security

Adi Robertson, The Verge  

Meta and Twitter are both using account security to attract paid subscribers — but in very different ways.

Tencent in Talks to Sell Meta’s Quest 2 VR Headset in China

Rafaelle Huang and Newley Purnell, The Wall Street Journal

The deal could be a boon for Meta in China, where Facebook has been blocked since 2009.

$3.7 bln UK mass action against Facebook over market dominance rejected – for now

Sam Tobin, Reuters

Facebook on Monday temporarily fought off a collective lawsuit valued at up to 3 billion pounds ($3.7 billion) over allegations the social media giant abused its dominant position to monetise users’ personal data.

TikTok reveals 150m monthly users in Europe, here’s how it stacks up to other platforms

Chris Sutcliffe, The Drum

TikTok has 150 million monthly active users (MAUs) in the EU. It’s the first time the company has publicly broken down the number of its active users in the territory, prompted by the EU’s Digital Services Act (DSA) allowing for the direct comparison to rival social networks.

Roblox Is Bringing Generative AI to Its Gaming Universe

Will Knight, Wired

The company aims to draw on the new technology’s code-writing ability to make its digital worlds even more customizable.

Nike’s top tech executive, Ratnakar Lavu, resigns

Matthew Kish, Insider

Nike’s top technology executive, Ratnakar Lavu, has resigned effective immediately, according to an email sent to employees and signed by Nike Chief Operating Officer Andy Campion. The announcement was made on Monday. 

Wendy’s Brings Back ‘Where’s The Beef?’

Jon Springer, Ad Age

CMO promises a fresh take on iconic slogan, joining other restaurants in classic revivals.

United Airlines to Ease Family Seating Fees

Alison Sider and Dawn Gilbertson, The Wall Street Journal

Lawmakers, regulators and President Biden have taken aim at additional charge for adjacent seats.

More brands are now testing TikTok’s Shop feature in the U.S.

Ivan Mehta and Aisha Malik, TechCrunch

TikTok is continuing its push toward making its app a shopping destination by onboarding more brands for its Shop initiative, which lets companies sell their goods directly on the app with a full checkout experience. TikTok began testing Shop in the U.S. this past November, and we now know a few more brands that are part of this initial testing phase.

Pacsun launches tycoon-based Roblox experience

Tatiana Walk-Morris, Retail Dive

Deepening its relationship with Roblox, Pacsun has launched a new virtual experience on the platform titled “Pacsun Los Angeles Tycoon,” according to a Wednesday press release.

More than 300,000 bottles of Starbucks bottled Frappuccinos have been recalled

Ayana Archie, NPR News

More than 25,000 cases of chilled, bottled Starbucks vanilla Frappuccinos have been recalled due to possibly having pieces of glass in them, according to the Food and Drug Administration.

What CEOs Are Getting Wrong About the Future of Work—and How to Make It Right

Te-Ping Chen, The Wall Street Journal

To build better companies, leaders need to experiment more, quit ‘living in fear of opening Pandora’s box,’ says Wharton management professor Adam Grant

Kroger workers who quit are getting texts and emails from the company asking them to come back

Steve Mollman, Fortune

Former Kroger employees who left the company have been getting some surprising texts and emails. The supermarket operator—the nation’s largest by sales—wants them back, and it isn’t being shy about reaching out and letting them know.

Covid’s ‘legacy of weirdness’: Layoffs spread, but some employers can’t hire fast enough

Leslie Josephs, CNBC

Job cuts are rising at some of the biggest U.S. companies, but others are still scrambling to hire workers, the result of wild swings in consumer priorities since the Covid pandemic began three years ago.

Facebook Parent Meta Gives Thousands of Workers Subpar Reviews

Salvador Rodriguez and Jeff Horwitz, The Wall Street Journal

The performance ratings may signal that more job cuts are on the way.

World’s Largest Four-Day Work Week Trial Finds Few Are Going Back

Irina Anghel and Arianne Cohen, Bloomberg

And about one in six employees in the study said no amount of money would convince them to return to five days a week. 

Why Big Layoff Announcements Don’t Always Mean Big Workforce Cuts

Theo Francis, The Wall Street Journal

Big job cuts can make headlines and move stock prices. One thing they don’t always do: leave companies that much smaller.